This invention relates generally to portable food cooler/table combinations and, more particularly, to a food cooler and table assembly combination that can be configured for use in a variety of applications, including those in a home, an office, a school, or a recreational vehicle, for example.
Food cooler/table combinations of various types are known in the prior art. For example, The Party Cart, marketed by Kanga-roo Pouch (www.kangaroopouch.com) purports to be a wheeled food cooler that converts into a picnic table by means of a pair of fold-out leaves hingedly attached to the side edges of the cooler lid. A folding camp chair is stowed on the underside of each of the leaves for use when the cooler is configured as a table. U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,902 is directed to a combination cooler and table in which a removable table top that normally overlies the cooler cover may be secured in a fixed position of use elevated above the cooler cover. U.S. Pat. No. 7,334,802 is directed to a combination wheeled cooler and retractable tray in which the tray may be moved between a stowed position and an elevated position above the cooler lid. U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,319 is directed to a wheeled cooler that includes a pop-up tray table on top of the cooler and an umbrella stand at the wheeled end of the cooler. U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,012 is directed to a wheeled cooler having openings in top and bottom panels thereof for receiving an umbrella mast that can be augured into the earth beneath the cooler for stabilization purposes. A table panel having a central mast opening engages the umbrella mast to maintain the table panel in a desired position above the top panel of the cooler. U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,733 is directed to a cooler with an integrated umbrella stand attached to one side of the cooler. U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,991 is directed to a wheeled cooler having a towing handle and a table assembly hinged coaxially with the cooler lid to permit the table assembly to be rotated to a deployed position, forward of the towing handle, independently of the cooler lid. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 368,387 is directed to a combined cooler and collapsible table, the cooler top having a hinged leaf on opposite sides thereof that may be rotated from a collapsed position to an open position that forms a table surface.
In accordance with the illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention, a combination food cooler and table assembly includes a cooler base having an insulated cavity covered by a removable tethered lid and a table assembly overlying the cooler lid. The table assembly includes a rectangular table sub-panel having a downwardly protruding table leg at opposite ends thereof, each of the table legs being adapted for sliding engagement within a table leg sleeve provided at opposite ends of the cooler base. A table top mounted over the table sub-panel includes a rectangular central panel directly overlying the cooler lid and a pair of drop leaves hingedly attached to opposite sides of the central table panel. A pair of handhold openings provided in the table sub-panel permit the user to raise the table assembly to a desired height above the cooler lid. Access to the handhold openings is by way of a pair of hinged access covers provided at opposite ends of the central panel of the table top. The central panel is mounted over the table sub-panel by means of a swivel mechanism that permits the table top to be rotated about its central axis 90 degrees with respect to the table sub-panel when the drop leaves are lifted outwardly and upwardly from a vertical or transport position to a horizontal position. A locking handle/pawl mechanism associated with each of the table leg sleeves engages a selected one of a plurality of recessed locking notches in the table leg sleeves to thereby lock the table assembly in a raised position that is a desired height above the cooler lid and to also permit the user to lift and reposition the entire combination food cooler and table assembly. Two wheels are provided at the rear end of the cooler base, and a towing handle is provided at the front end thereof. The towing handle may be rotated from a lowered or stowed position to a limited raised position that facilitates towing of the combination food cooler and table assembly by a user without interference between the cooler and the user's legs. An opening in the central panel of the table top may be provided to receive an umbrella or flag pole.